Listening to the Sound Deep Within Critique in Critical Literacy

Abstract

How far is a credible critique away from a playful rhetoric? Is there any distinguishable boundary between them? This paper is concerned with the problematic of critique in critical literacy. Critique plays a crucial role in arousing awareness of, and resistance against, social and political oppression. Therefore, its legitimacy should be subject to careful scrutiny. Although there is an extensive literature with regard to revealing oppressive practices and calling for transformative reforms, the legitimacy of critique is often backgrounded. Thus, the central question addressed in this paper is "Do we have any criteria for evaluating critique?" It is shown that certain communicative features appropriated from Jurgen Habermas's theory of communicative action provide a viable framework to ground critique.